The aftermath of long-term exposure to non-ionizing radiation on laboratory cultivated pine plants (Pinus halepensis M.)

•Young pine plants exposed to long term radiation from a DECT base-unit.•Significant biomass reduction was observed for the exposed plants, after seven weeks.•Photosynthetic pigment content decreased in the exposed leaves.•Cotyledon, leaf, stem and root structure seem unaffected.•Many mesophyll cells severely affected with extensive damages to their chloroplasts.

Sprouts of Pinus halepensis were incubated and cultured in the laboratory under controlled conditions to investigate their response to a long-term exposure to continuous, non-ionizing radiation emitted from the base unit of a cordless DECT system. Exposed plants, compared to their control counterparts, seem to be affected since they exhibit lower sprouting potential, minor fresh weight and biomass for both the above ground part and the root, reduction of their photosynthetic pigments and significantly increased ROS levels. Cotyledon, juvenile leaf, primary shoot and root structure seem similar in both control and exposed plants. What seems to be affected is the structure of chloroplasts in the exposed leaves. Many cells of the exposed leaves possess severely deformed chloroplasts with dilated or destructed thylakoid membranes although disruption of chloroplast envelopes was not observed.